I liked the two leads, genuine, warm performances, especially the dad.It was poorly filmed, very dark and shadowy at times, I so hate squinting at the screen.And the two leads with beards didn't help matters.BUT, the film took a long time to get to where it was going.Which was literally nowhere but a one night stand.Yes, it was tender. But there was absolutely no development of the characters' relationship. Unless you include that old cliché of the bad script shortfall featuring a couple silently laughing and laughing together over stuff the audience is never privy to.Odd unsatisfying effort. Like a sundae full of imitation ingredients.3 out of 10

I thought it was extremely refreshing to see a movie where the love protagonists meet towards the end of the piece. It had beautiful shots, great music, strong performances and memorable moments. In addition, it's universal, and speaks to all kinds of love.However, I do agree some parts required necessary trimming.There are scenes where time is needed and welcomed, where the subtleties of the performance flourish and the power of the moment requires it. To mind come the dance between Gabe and Shannon, the adoration and contemplation during Gabe's and Ernie's first night together, the awkwardness of Shannon's date, Ernie's longing for love and a way out while staring in the kitchen.But there are other scenes - especially some that were there exclusively for poetic beauty and others where the characters are not going through any particular emotional moment - that could have been trimmed to a third or fourth of their duration. Doing so would have provided a good balance and showcased the higher points better.I could appreciate the movie greatly, but the rest of my party was unfortunately waiting for it to be over. There was no way I could convince them of the movie's merits due to their relentless - but fair - impatience.

Pit Stop is the story of two working-class gay men in their thirties - Gabe, a building contractor (played by Bill Heck), and Ernie, a lumber-yard worker (played by Marcus DeAnda) - in a small town in Texas.Gabe is divorced but still close to his ex-wife and daughter; the man he loved and left them for has dumped him and moved far away. Ernie is breaking free of his latest failed relationship with a man. Their paths almost cross a few times, but they don't actually meet until fairly late in the movie. Because of its unconventional structure and slow pace, it has been widely criticized by amateur reviewers of gay movies.But this is by far the best gay movie I have ever seen, and I've seen hundreds - all the ones that are worth seeing and many more that aren't. Everything about it is perfect.It doesn't need editing or any of the other fixes even favorable reviews say it needs. They're looking for a different kind of movie - in which the lovers meet early and we see all that happens afterwards - and they won't have any trouble finding it, because it's all we've gotten until now. But I THANK GOD that Yen Tan didn't hear their whining, and that he made this movie EXACTLY as he did. Not in any universe could it be any better than it is.Every character (including the ex-wife and her new boyfriend) and every scene is essential, exactly as it is. If I listed everything about Pit Stop that's perfect I'd list everything (well, maybe not the title), but I must single out the writing, direction and acting.The characters have time to develop fully and richly, each within the context of his own life, every tiny detail of which is perfect. Their brief almost-meetings (at least three times) earlier in the movie help tie their stories together even though they're deliciously subtle and easy to miss; and the pacing of the whole movie is as graceful and lovely as a ballet, but more natural. Action lovers will definitely be bored, but who cares? When the two men finally meet, it's the sweetest, hottest stuff ever shown on any kind of screen anywhere on earth.Gabe and Ernie are the realest couple ever in any gay movie, and Bill Heck and Marcus DeAnda are the best actors who ever played gay characters. Every word, every sound, every movement, every gesture, every glance of an eye or lift of an eyebrow is perfect.Movies of any kind - gay or straight - just don't get any better than this. It's fantastic.

You follow th life of two broken hearted men, Gabe and Ernesto, who live in the same town, go to the same places and work 100 ft away without even knowing each other. It may seem a little still at the beginning and by the trailer you might expect it to progress into a much more sexualized interaction between characters, but it turns out to be a nice romantic drama, which was a nice surprise. It's not one of those "instant love" movies in which two people meet, fall madly in love and ride in a white horse to the horizon, it's a bit deeper than that, showing you about how you can "move on" how and when you least expect it.I recommend it.